Using credit cards for the perks (miles, points, etc.)

[mm1971]

My question is :

How do you keep track??

I have tried to use our Southwest credit card for everything, but I end up confused and putting more on it than I should

Is there a tried-and-true way to earn the miles but still stay within your budget?

I know I can put the following monthly bills on our credit card : Cable, PUD, Utility. That comes to approx. $500 (sometimes more). If I just put those on the card monthly, I know I can keep decent track of it and earn 6,000 miles/year.

But I would like to put as much as possible on it. And would love to know if you have a routine or way that works for you that I could try.....

Thanks!

We download our budget to our iPhones. This makes it easy to see the budget at any time. We also make sure any purchase over a certain amount is communicated to each other to make sure the purchase makes sense. Staying within your budget is about discipline, not how you pay for it.